CHEAT SHEET

Dodgy Donations

George Nader, the mysterious Lebanese-American businessman who attended Trump campaign meetings with foreign officials during the presidential transition—and who is now cooperating with the Mueller probe—took millions of dollars from the United Arab Emirates before he began handing out large political donations to U.S. lawmakers considering legislation targeting Qatar, the UAE’s main rival. The Associated Press reported that Nader wired $2.5 million to Trump fundraiser Elliott Broidy in what unnamed sources said was part of an effort to persuade the U.S. to take a hard line against Qatar. Shortly after he received the donation, Broidy sponsored a conference on Qatar’s alleged ties to Islamic extremism, and Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, announced legislation to condemn Qatar as a terror-supporting state. The AP previously revealed that Nader was convicted of sexually abusing minors in the Czech Republic. He is of interest to Mueller as he attended meetings of Trump aides, including Jared Kushner, with Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi, shortly before Trump became president.